


I Forgot Again

by bunbun404



Category: My Chemical Romance
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - No My Chemical Romance, Best Friends, Disassociation, Fluff, Forgetfulness, Friendship, Frikey, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Roommates, can be platonic, friends taking care of friends, kinda eating disorders, vent - Freeform, vent fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-20
Updated: 2020-07-20
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:34:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,257
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25397734
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bunbun404/pseuds/bunbun404
Summary: Mikey can't keep track of time to the point where it's fucking him up, bad. Frank helps take care of him.I wrote this as a vent fic, so please take caution reading this!! TW for eating disorders as well as some symptoms of depression!
Relationships: Frank Iero/Mikey Way
Comments: 4
Kudos: 48





	I Forgot Again

“You doin’ okay?” Frank poked his head around the corner, eyeing Mikey.

“Think so? I dunno.” Mikey looked up at Frank. He was laying on the floor of their apartment, one arm wrapped around his stomach, the other draped over his head.

“Uh, you want some water or something? I’ll get you some trail mix.” Frank reached down and patted Mikey’s arm before heading into the kitchen. Mikey nodded and stared at the ceiling.

Frank filled up a glass and took the whole bag of trail mix before hurrying back to Mikey. He frowned down at him, this was the third time this week Frank had found Mikey on the floor.

“When’s the last time you ate something?” Frank helped Mikey sit up and let him lean on his shoulder. He took a peanut and pressed it to Mikey’s lips.

“I can feed myself,” He said before eating the peanut anyways.

“Yeah, I know. I just wanna help, man. Answer my question,” Frank offered an M&M.

“I think,” crunch crunch, “I think yesterday?”

“Fuck, Mikey, do you know what time it is?”

“Four?”

“No man, it’s eight. C’mon let’s get you up,” Frank helped lift Mikey up to his feet and practically carried him to his room. Gently setting him down on the bed, Frank helped Mikey change into a clean shirt before sitting next to him to continue feeding him trail mix. 

“Sorry, I just- I just kinda forget about time, y’know,” Mikey curled into himself a little.

“Yeah, I know. I’m worried about you,” Frank leaned against him and sighed into his hair.

“I’m okay Frank.”

Another sigh.

“I am, you don’t gotta be worried about me. Y’got other shit to worry about.”

“Yeah, I know,” Frank pressed a cashew to Mikey’s lips, “I’ve found you lying on the floor three times this week man.”

“Sometimes,” crunch crunch, “sometimes I get kinda dizzy and it’s hard to walk, so I lay down.”

“Mikey, its ‘cause you’re not eating enough. Don’t make me call Gerard.”

Mikey groaned. He loved Gerard more than anyone, but he could be a little overprotective of his little brother. One time, Frank called him over because Mikey didn’t know how to work the stove and he accidentally burnt his hand, and Gerard made him come stay at his apartment for a week.

“Nooooo don’t! He’ll make Mom cook for me and then she’ll get worried and make me come home.” Mikey fell back onto the mattress, and Frank fell back with him.

“Then you gotta eat some more.” Frank patted Mikey’s thigh and fed him an almond.

“It’s hard, like, I blink and three hours go by. And when I remember that I’m hungry, cooking or microwaving food is too overwhelming.”

“Aw, man, you should’ve told me. I’ll totally cook for you.” Frank rolled to face him and grinned. Mikey snorted and shoved a handful of trail mix into his mouth to hide his own growing smile.

“I don’t wanna eat salads.”

“Oh my god, Mikey, when's the last time you saw me eat a salad? I fuckin’ live off of pasta.”

“Whatever you say, bunny-rabbit.” Mikey was giggling (giggling!) at the ceiling, and Frank fake punched him in the arm.

“Yeah well this bunny-rabbit can pick you up and throw you!“ Frank sat up suddenly, a massive shit-eating on his face. He lunged forwards and scooped Mikey up, who thrashed a little in between laughs. Frank winced slightly when he noticed how light Mikey felt, but he was pulled from his thoughts when Mikey whacked him with a stuffed animal. Frank dropped him into the pillows.

“Whoa man, when’s the last time you showered?” Frank caught a whiff of whatever smelled so bad on Mikey, who looked away.

“Uhm, I think it’s been four or five days?”

“Oh man, c’mon let’s get you cleaned up.” 

Frank slid off the bed and reached out for Mikey’s hand, who took it. Frank pulled him up to his feet, lunging to catch him when he stumbled and nearly fell backward. Mikey looked dazed but he regained the ability to stand. He waved Frank away when he saw how worried he looked.

“Mikey...” Frank started, but he decided not to finish his thought. Instead, he dragged Mikey to the bathroom and ran a bath. He made Mikey sit on the floor while he went to look for the cleanest towel in the house, a difficult feat for two boys who never properly learned how to do laundry. He returned with the towel that didn’t have a suspicious stain on it and handed it to Mikey. Frank knelt down beside him and shut off the water, testing it to make sure the temperature was good. He helped Mikey out of his clothes and made sure he got in the tub safely.

“I’m not elderly, you don’t have to do this.” Mikey stared straight ahead, a little embarrassed to be naked in a tub while his best friend hovered over him like he was a little Victorian boy suffering from some fever.

“Yeah, but I wanna help. I care about you,” Frank crawled over to the cabinet under the sink and dug around a little until he found what he was looking for. “You want a bath bomb? It’s orange-scented and has glitter.”

Mikey half-smiled. “Alright.”

Frank dropped it in and let it fizz. He took a handful of water and dunked it over Mikey’s head.

“Ah! What the fuck!?” He startled and splashed Frank, who fell over laughing. When Frank recovered from his laughing fit, he got back up and offered Mikey an I’m-sorry smile and puppy dog eyes.

“You want me to help wash your hair?”

“For fuck’s sake Frank I’m capable of washing my own hair.”

“Do you have the energy to wash it yourself?”

Mikey pondered.

“No.”

“You want some help?”

“Fine.” 

Mikey huffed and tried not to feel so ashamed of himself for being too sad to wash his own hair, his roommate had to help him. He also tried very very hard to not turn beet red. Oh no, too late. Frank smiled reassuringly at Mikey, who was redder than a tomato, as he got some shampoo in his hands and ran them through Mikey’s hair. Mikey tried not to lean into the touch, but he’d been in a dreamlike haze for the past month and so much contact felt like heaven. His eyes fluttered shut as Frank shampooed his hair and massaged his scalp. Mikey almost forgot that he was in a bathtub, naked, as his best friend who he definitely didn’t have feelings for washed his hair for him. Almost. Once Frank finished up with his hair, he had Mikey lay back into the water to rinse it out. Satisfied, he handed Mikey a bar of soap and got up to cook them some dinner.

“I love you Mikes but I’m not gonna wash your armpits for you, I’ll give you some privacy. Just call for me once you’re done okay? I don’t want you to fall.” Frank leaned down to brush his knuckles over Mikey’s cheek before turning on his heel to make dinner. Mikey sat in the tub, watching the door close. Once he was alone, Mikey sunk farther into the water and tried to process what the fuck just happened. On one hand, Mikey was absolutely relishing in someone taking care of him, but on the other hand, he felt so devastated that someone noticed how weak he was. He craved love like it was a drug but he was far too proud to let anyone take care of him. Mikey decided on feeling like shit, and he reached for the bar of soap.

Meanwhile, Frank fussed around in the tiny kitchenette. He found a bag of lentils that was probably still okay, a can of beans, whatever vegetables were in the fridge, and some of his favorite tofu. He put on some water to boil and seasoned it to taste like a decent broth, then he chopped the vegetables and assembled everything to make a proper soup. Frank was worried sick over Mikey, he hadn’t noticed how bad he had gotten. They both worked at the nearby Barnes and Noble in between semesters, but Mikey was a barista while Frank dealt with the books so they barely interacted at work. Frank made himself a cup of tea and leaned on the counter and waited. He considered texting Gerard to come over and watch movies or something, but he figured he would let it be Mikey’s call. Frank scrolled through twitter anxiously, his brain too busy to let him focus on one thing too long. He resigned himself to scrolling, checking on the soup, drinking tea, and listening to make sure Mikey hadn’t hurt himself. Oh fuck, Mikey. Frank set down his phone and crept towards the door, knocking on it as soft as possible.

“Hey, Mikes, you doin’ okay?”

“Yeah, ‘m almost done.” Splash.

“Alright, you want me to help you out?”

Another splash followed by a sigh.

“Yeah, okay. Thanks, Frank.”

“Hey, that’s what friends are for. I’ll get you some clean clothes.”

“Thanks.” His voice was just a soft whisper, and Frank ignored the way his stomach twisted

Frank went into the kitchen to stir the soup one more time before looking for some clean pajamas. Finding nothing clean in Mikey’s room, he figured he’d let Mikey borrow his clothes. Frank dug through his drawers until he found an old pair of too-big sweatpants he stole from Gerard and an oversized hoodie. He figured these would do and he returned to the bathroom door, sitting down against it.

“Frank,” Mikey started.

“Yeah?”

“Thanks. For everything.”

“Of course. You’re my best friend, I’d do anything for you, man.”

“Can you come help me up?”

“Yeah, can I come in now?”

“Yeah.”

Frank stood up, clutching the pajamas, and turned the doorknob. He set them down on top of the toilet and grabbed the towel off the floor. Mikey stood up out of the water and Frank handed him the towel in one hand and steadied him with the other, and Mikey managed to get out of the tub without falling and cracking his skull open. Frank considered this a win. He left him to get dressed and he fixed them two bowls of soup, giving the majority to Mikey. Frank turned on the tv and headed to Netflix, he’d probably let Mikey choose the movie tonight. Speaking of whom, the forlorn Way brother had made his way into the living room and nearly gave Frank a heart attack when he soundlessly sat next to him.

“How the hell can you walk so quietly?” Frank handed him his bowl.

“Creaky floorboards,” Mikey stated matter-of-factly and brought his knees to his chest, resting the bowl on them.

“Got a movie in mind?” Frank blew on the soup.

“How about parks ‘n rec?” Mikey took a bite of soup.

“Wanna start from the first episode?” 

“Yeah.”

Frank typed in the title and played the show, scooting a little closer to Mikey. They sat together through the first episode in silence, eating their respective bowls. When he finished, Frank set his empty bowl on the coffee table and scooted close enough to lean against Mikey.

“Good?” He mumbled into Mikey’s boney shoulder.

“Yeah.” Mikey moved away to set his own bowl down. When he sat back down, Frank, ever the cuddler, wrapped an arm around Mikey and curled into him. Mikey leaned into the embrace and rested his head atop Frank’s. He sighed into his friend’s hair and looked at him, really looked at him. He noticed the way Frank’s shirt crumpled up and exposed a little bit of his belly, he noticed that Frank had been stealing his shampoo, he noticed that everytime he shifted around Frank’s heart would beat a little faster. Mikey reached up and petted Frank’s hair, taking note of the way he subconsciously butted up into the touch. Full for the first time in weeks, warm and safe, Mikey felt himself drifting asleep. When Frank noticed Mikey’s petting had stopped, he looked up to see his relaxed face. He smiled to himself, congratulated himself on a job well done, and passed out in Mikey’s lap.

“-Frank. Frank.”

Frank opened his eyes to see Mikey leaning over him. Upon closer inspection, He noticed they were still on the couch and Mikey had a hand on his cheek.

“Whas up Mikes?”

“Gotta go to bed.”

“Mmnh comfy here. You… Comfy.” Frank articulately responded.

“You can sleep in my bed but you gotta get up first.” Mikey nudged at his shoulder.

“Hh, fine.” Frank sat up and gave Mikey a woozy smile. 

The pair stumbled to Mikey’s room and crawled into his bed, still in their jeans. Frank snuggled close, an arm and a leg wrapped around Mikey, his head tucked against his chest. Frank could hear his heart skip a beat against his cheek and he lazily smiled into the fabric of his ratty old t-shirt. Mikey carded his fingers through Frank’s hair, gently untangling the little knots. Frank whispered something inaudible into Mikey’s shirt before his breaths became even and went limp against Mikey. He leaned down and kissed the top of Frank’s head and curled in closer to him, almost protectively. For the first time in months, Mikey felt completely safe and full of love. He whispered his own little message into Frank’s hair before drifting off.

A simple “thank you.”

**Author's Note:**

> I've been having the same problem as Mikey lately. During the quarantine I've been disassociating so bad that I won't remember to eat or drink for 20 hours at a time, and I won't have any motivation to shower, and its kinda tough. I want someone to take care of me so I figured "hey, why not project this feeling onto Frank and Mikey?" Anyways I hope you enjoyed :) sometimes you gotta be your own Frank tho, please take care of yourself <3


End file.
